After throwing down at their recent Stage 48 show in NYC, Tortured Soul gave us their take on the evening and also offered us some bits on what’s next!

Giant Step: Congratulations on a great night at Stage 48 in NYC earlier this month! What was your highlight of the evening?

John-Christian Urich: Well NYC is my home town (I was born and raised in Manhattan). With all the constant talk about how NYC isn’t what it used to be, it was good to see that that isn’t true if you know the right party to go to. Some old school heads are indeed still around holding down the fort, and coming out to get down on the dance floor (with many new I might add!) and support soulful house and live music.

Giant Step: How was it to share the stage with DJ Spinna? Each collaboration brings about a unique energy – anything in particular that moves you about this synergy?

John-Christian Urich: What is great about Spinna is that he approaches each production he’s involved in as its own special creation. The remixes he has done with us start from scratch. He doesn’t just throw a vocal over some pre-programmed beats and see what happens; he crafts a remix.

The same can be said about the music he chooses to play at a live show. What he decides to play for a Tortured Soul event is different than what he’ll do for one of his other nights. He discussed with us beforehand what we were going to play, what tempo we wanted to start at and various other details, which helped to make the night a better collaboration for us, and a more special night for the audience.

The UK’s Mount Kimbie are finally unfurling their sophomore album, Cold Spring Fault Less Youth on May 27th on Warp Records. In celebration of this jump-for-joy announcement, a song from the album, “Made to Stray,” which received first play honors on Ben UFO’s on Rinse FM show just a few weeks ago, is being given away free, direct from the Mount Kimbie site this week. Stream the restrained, and at once, overwhelmingly joyous dance track below.

Dom and Kai will be playing dates all over North America surrounding the album release date, immediately following their opening European tour.

Vocal sensation Dido tomorrow returns with Girl Who Got Away, her fourth studio album. Working with her brother Rollo Armstrong again who produced most of the album, the singer/songwriter also landed tracks from Brian Eno, Jeff Bhasker, Rick Nowels and Greg Kurstin. Tune in to Dido’s latest video for “No Freedom” below and enjoy her newest round of mellow treats.

For a band that formed in 2011 and released their first album less than a year ago, Hiatus Kaiyote has enjoyed a whirlwind of accomplishments in a remarkably short period of time: a backstage serenade of their own song “Nakamarra” by Erykah Badu at SXSW; a long and forceful reiteration of support from ?uestlove at his party at Brooklyn Bowl; a sold-out show at their debut performance in New York City.

Hiatus Kaiyote, comprised of Nai Palm, Simon Mavin, Perrin Moss and Paul Bender, is also a perfect example of the limited utility of the “genre” in characterizing an album’s sound or capturing its integrity. But nonetheless, the sources of inspiration for their music are unmistakable. “Atari” takes cues from Flying Lotus’s fractal spidering of digital sounds. The keyboard section on “Jekyll” draws inspiration from Fela Kuti and afrobeat. The woozy space sounds of “Shaolin Monk Motherfunk” are reminiscent of Erykah Badu’s latest album, New Amerykah Part 2. And Nai Palm herself sounds like a blend of Lauryn Hill and Amy Winehouse.

Their inaugural performance at LPR was also remarkable for the depth and loyalty of the fan base they’ve already amassed. Here’s what some fans had to say of last night’s show:

Naikhoba Munabi: “The power of the performance was in the immersive experience. It felt like performance art. Each song individually carries its own weight, but the concert felt like a complete feast as opposed to just one ingredient or one meal. Also, sonically, their tones are extremely well refined so that no one artist is the star of the band. All four of them complimented each other so well and fit together seamlessly. When you listen to their music, it consumes you; I felt like I was a part of it.”